Estonian national broadcaster ERR has announced that 175 songs have been submitted for “Eesti Laul 2025,” the national selection process to choose Estonia’s representative for Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland.

Following ERR’s confirmation of Estonia’s participation in Eurovision 2025, set to take place in Basel, Switzerland, and the use of the “Eesti Laul 2025” format for selecting their entry, the broadcaster has now revealed the number of submissions received. While this figure is lower than the 215 songs submitted for the 2024 selection, it still represents a significant interest in the competition. ERR disclosed that among the submitted songs, 110 are in Estonian, while 65 are in foreign languages (including English, French, German, and Italian).

Selection Process and International Aspirations

A panel of over 35 judges will select 15 of the 16 songs that will advance to the Estonian national final. The additional song will be chosen by the public through online voting. The 15 contestants selected by the judges are expected to be announced in early November, with their songs released on December 6. Voting for the 16th song will take place in early January. For the first time, there will be no semi-finals, with all 16 songs competing in the grand final scheduled for February 15 in Tallinn.

Karmel Killandi, producer of the Estonian national selection, aims for the competition to gain international recognition on par with Estonia itself. She expressed her satisfaction with the mix of established and new artists entering the contest, stating: “I am particularly pleased that there are talented young artists among the contestants, as well as famous and well-known artists. We hope that this competition will serve as a foundation for stage careers in our country, but also soar to the top worldwide.”

Riin Vann, another producer of the national selection, asserts that this year’s song lineup demonstrates significant interest in the competition worldwide. Songwriters from countries such as Norway, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Spain, USA, UK, and others have contributed to the contest entries. Vann commented: “This year’s Eurovision national selection proves that music knows no boundaries. We take it as recognition that Eesti Laul have their place on the international stage.”

Potential High-Profile Contestant: Tommy Cash

Rumors suggest that among the artists who submitted a song for the national selection is Tommy Cash, a globally recognized Estonian rapper and producer known for his humorous music style and provocative music videos. Cash has collaborated with notable artists, including Finland’s Eurovision 2023 representative Käärijä on the track “It’s Crazy It’s Party,” released shortly after Eurovision 2023. He has also worked with other Eurovision alumni such as Russia’s 2020 representatives Little Big.

Recently, Cash has been teasing potential Eurovision involvement through his social media accounts. He updated his Instagram bio with a distribution list titled “Eurovision 2025, but we do it like it’s 2001 (The year of Estonia winning Eurovision)”, posted a tweet hinting at his participation in Eurovision 2025, and shared an Instagram story with the text “Transfer Complete,” possibly indicating his completed registration for the national selection.

Its time for revenge https://t.co/e7T8KrC0xh

— TOMMY CASH (@TOMMYCASHWORLD) September 16, 2024 

Timeline for Eesti Laul 2025: Key Dates to Remember

The timeline for Eesti Laul 2025 includes the announcement of finalists by November 8, 2024. The songs will be revealed on December 6 at 21:00. This year’s grand final will take place on February 15, 2025. Notably, a record number of 16 songs will compete in the final round this year. The voting process will consist of two stages: the first round will combine jury and public votes to select the top three songs; in the second round, only public voting will determine which song will represent Estonia at Eurovision.

Eesti Laul 2025 will feature a single show: a grand final scheduled for February 15. This will be the first time since 2010 that Eesti Laul will not include a semi-final.

Source: ERR

Eurovision 2025: This will be Estonia’s 30th participation in Eurovision. Estonia joined the contest in 1994 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2001 when singers Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL, won first place with the song “Everybody”.